Australian Open Player Quits Due To Bushfire Smoke

Tennis Players Struggle to Breathe as Bushfire Smoke Affects Australian Open Qualifier

Bushfire smoke triggered “breathing difficulties” for several tennis players during an Australian Open qualifying round in Melbourne on Tuesday, January 14, local media reported. The smoke caused Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovic to cough as she sank to her knees and later withdrew from the match at Melbourne Park in Victoria, according to local media. Medical timeouts were also called for Australian Bernard Tomic and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard. Victoria’s Environmental Protection Agency categorized Tuesday’s air quality in Melbourne as “hazardous” and advised people in smoke-affected areas to stay indoors. The Australian Open said on Twitter that practice was “temporarily suspended” due to poor air quality. The video, filmed by Alex Nikolaou, shows Bouchard walking off the court. “Kudos to Genie Bouchard. Genie wins the match especially after her respiratory episode,” Nikolaou said on Twitter. Australian Open officials said air quality testing and a variety of experts would “continue to be consulted” when evaluating the safety of game play, according to local media. The Australian Open Championship officially begins on Monday, January 20. Credit: Alex Nikolaou via Storyful

Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovic was forced to retire from her Australian Open qualifier after an intense coughing fit she says was caused by Melbourne's bushfire smoke.

A player has abandoned her bid to qualify for the Australian Open after an intense coughing fit she says was caused by bushfire smoke forced her to leave the court in Melbourne yesterday.

Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovic was one set up in her qualifying match against Switzerland's Stefanie Vögele when she began to cough heavily, falling to her knees with the effort.

The umpire and officials came and spoke with Jakupovic, who is ranked 180 in the world. She was then escorted from the court and Vögele declared the winner. She will go on to play again tomorrow.

Davila Jakupovic retires after suffering a horrendous coughing fit and breathing difficulties in the heavy, polluted air in Melbourne. Awful scenes pic.twitter.com/EPQUlf9DpF

Jakupovic's retirement highlights the problem of air quality at this year's Australian Open, as bushfires continue to burn in Victoria. Play has been suspended for short periods due already due to concerns about smoke harming players' health.

An exhibition match between Maria Sharapova and Germany's Laura Siegemund at the Kooyong Classic was abandoned yesterday near the end of the second set. Sharapova said afterwards the air quality was affecting her breathing.

"We played over two hours and I actually started feeling a little bit of a cough coming out towards the end of the second set," Sharapova said.

"I've been sick for a few weeks so I thought it was something to do with that.

"When I heard Laura [Siegemund] speak to the umpire and say she was struggling with it as well, I thought thankfully I'm not the only one.

The official line from the Kooyong Classic was that the game ended early due to the heat, not bushfire smoke. Tennis Australia chief executive told the media before both events that pollution was abating, but that his team would be monitoring it closely.

"This is a new experience for all of us," he said.

Tennis Australia has installed air quality monitoring devices for the Australian Open, and the world's eyes will be on them to see how they handle players' health over the next two weeks.

If you’re able to, you can donate to the bushfire victims and fire services. Donate to the NSW Rural Fire Service here, the Victorian CFA here, the Red Cross here, donate to wildlife through WIRES here. or Wildlife Victoria here.